Mobile wireless communication devices, such as a cellular telephone or tablet computing device, can operate in a wireless communication network of overlapping “cells.” Each cell can provide a geographic area of wireless signal coverage that extends from a base station located in the cell. The mobile wireless communication device can receive signals transmitted from one or more cells in the wireless communication network. The base stations in each of the cells can be located at different distances from the mobile wireless communication device, and therefore signals received at the mobile wireless communication device can vary in signal strength and/or signal quality. The mobile wireless communication device can measure and monitor the received signals to determine to which cells a connection can be achieved and maintained.
The mobile wireless communication network can transmit measurement messages to the wireless communication network informing the wireless communication network of changes to channel quality conditions of signals transmitted by cells and observed by the mobile wireless communication device. In some current implementations, these measurement messages are sent in an assured mode requiring acknowledgement from the wireless communication network before the mobile wireless communication device considers their transmission complete. An unacknowledged measurement message is retransmitted until an acknowledgement is received, or in some networks until the measurement message has been retransmitted a threshold number of times. However, due to factors such as mobility of the mobile wireless communication, channel quality can change rapidly. As such, by the time an unacknowledged measurement message is retransmitted, the channel quality measurement on which the measurement message can be obsolete. Accordingly, retransmission of a measurement message can result in a handover decision being made on the basis of obsolete channel quality measurements. Further, in some instances, repeated retransmissions of a measurement message can result in termination of a connection between the mobile wireless communication device and the wireless communication network.